Open house set for Lebanon schools new central office

Lebanon Special School District officials will hold an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday from 3-6 p.m. for its new central office at 397 N. Castle Heights Ave.

The district bought the 8,800-square-foot building, which previously housed Pinnacle Bank, last year for $1.76 million after district leaders said it had outgrown the former central office at the corner of Castle Heights Avenue and Coles Ferry Pike.

It’s the same size we built when we had 1,800-1,900 students. Now we’ve got another 4,000,” school board chairman Steve Jones said last year.

The former central office building will house Wee-Care, technology and possibly family resource centers and other departments that currently use classroom space, according to Director of Schools Scott Benson.

Benson said the central office move would create six to 10 additional classrooms throughout the district, which would benefit several hundred students.

“We’re putting off building our next school. Growth is going to dictate that, and we’re going to keep a close eye on our growth,” Benson said last year. “This is just going to put off spending $20 million-$25 million for our next school.”

And Jones agreed.

“We still have land we purchased previously. We’re going to have that in case we need two schools. We have room out there. We’re preparing for the future. It’s a beautiful building. The location is absolutely perfect for us,” Jones said.